Many churches around the U.S. provide coffee and snacks on a weekly basis during their weekend services. This service is an important ministry to the church, not only to regular attenders and members, but also to visiting guests.

Providing coffee is a great way to make people feel welcome and provide a way for them to feel more comfortable engaging others. There is just something comforting about holding a cup of coffee in front of you while catching up with friends and meeting new people.

Would your church like to make an even greater impact through your church’s coffee ministry this weekend? Here are 7 tips to improve your church’s coffee ministry:

1. Clear Signage: Make sure everyone knows where to go to find coffee during your weekend services. If they’re arriving on Sunday morning, they will probably be a little more tired than usual, so having clear signage will help the weary wanderers find the essential source of energy that they need.

2. Multiple Stations: Reduce the lines and make it easier for people to get their coffee. Adding multiple coffee stations is a significant improvement allows people to move through the line quickly, engage in more conversations, and make it to the service on time. Make sure the coffee area is set up correctly.

3. Restock Supplies: Just imagine this scenario: You make it to church with your family. You’re running a few minutes late, but really want to grab a quick cup of coffee. You wait in line for your favorite coffee roast level. Then, as you put the cup against the spout and prepare for a full, hot cup of coffee… nothing comes out. Have you been there before?

You can avoid situations like this by planning to restock the coffee and supplies throughout your church’s weekend services. Some of the standard items that most churches provide include: sugars, creamers, half-and-half and/or milk in large canisters, stir sticks, napkins, cups, lids, and honey. Many churches also provide tea for the non-coffee drinkers. Which brings us to the important position of…

4. Coffee Greeters: We believe that your coffee greeters are an important part of your guest services ministry team. This specific role should be focused on two responsibilities:

Stock the Coffee Bar: Keep the coffee bars stocked. This includes anticipating coffee demand (and brewing coffee in advance, accordingly), restocking supplies regularly, and cleaning up small messes as they occur.

Welcome People: Greet everyone they meet in the coffee area. When you visit your local coffee shop, you are typically greeted by someone and given special attention while they assist you with your desired coffee order. When people meet the coffee greeters at your church, a friendly interaction can also go a long way towards making people feel welcome.

5. Continual Brewing: One of the most important aspects of providing coffee for your weekend services is the continual coffee brewing that must take place in order to keep your coffee canisters full and provide coffee for everyone. If you have multiple church services, determine the best volunteer rotation that allows your teams to coordinate well and keep all of the coffee areas stocked in between services.

The best time to rotate volunteers (for other ministries in the church) is between services, but this is often the busiest time for your coffee ministry team. When it comes to volunteer rotations, think outside the box in order to keep the coffee brewing and supplying everyone on Sunday mornings. Consider starting the volunteer shifts earlier and letting the volunteers change shifts during services, which is usually a slower time for coffee consumption.

6. Quality Coffee: An easy way to improve your church’s coffee ministry is to offer high-quality coffee. People like good coffee, and high-quality coffee from a company like HOPE Coffee is both enjoyable and affordable. If you’re interested, you can learn more about our HOPE Partner program for churches.

7. Add Food: Many people enjoy eating a snack with their cup of coffee. If your church is interested, consider providing a snack for everyone. A few low-cost snack items can be offered like donuts, fruit, or banana bread. Cutting snack items up into smaller pieces will allow a small quantity of snacks to go further (ex: cut the donut in half, cut the fruit into smaller pieces, etc).

If you implement these 7 tips to improve your church’s coffee ministry, you will help grow this ministry and make everyone feel more welcome at your church. You can even further your gospel impact through your regular coffee purchases by partnering with HOPE Coffee, where 100% of our profits support mission work in Honduras, Mexico, and Africa.